US Plans to Sell Antitank Missiles to Ukraine

Martin Rowe

The total estimated cost is not to exceed $47 million.

United States government employees and contractors will help transport the weapons and train Ukraine's forces, who are fighting a Russian-backed insurgency in the east of the country, to use them. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said back in December that any weapons provided by the USA would be used to protect Ukrainian solider and civilians.

"We have all possibilities to cooperate with the United States and to increase our cooperation including in the defense sector", he said. Since Russia annexed part of the country, separatists the USA believes to be backed by Russia have fought a bloody three-year war against Kiev.

The FGM-148 Javelin is a man-portable, shoulder-launched fire-and-forget anti-tank missile expected to help Ukraine "build its long-term defense capacity to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity in order to meet its national defense requirements", DSCA said in a press release. "Ukraine will have no difficulty absorbing this system into its armed forces", the statement says.

On Thursday, the Pentagon announced that the sale of 210 Javelin missiles and 37 Javelin Command Launch Units to Ukraine had been approved.

The proposed deal now heads to Congress, where it has a 30-day period in which it could be blocked.

So far, the sale has bipartisan support, which means making a final approval is likely.

The Verkhovna Rada also called on the parliaments of foreign states and the parliamentary assemblies of worldwide organizations to condemn Russia's actions against the territorial integrity of Ukraine, to condemn the violation by the Russian occupation administration of fundamental human rights and freedoms in occupied territories and to assist in the liberation of Ukrainian citizens, who are illegally held by Russia on groundless and politically motivated charges. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said in a statement.

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